If someone were attempting to keep track of every typo, misquote, and other communications screw-up committed by “President” Donald Trump, they probably hit critical mass and gave up the ghost pretty quickly. You’d have better luck counting every seed on fifty bagels while someone shouts random numbers at you through a bullhorn. At some point, you need to just give up, you know? Or better yet, perhaps you shouldn’t even bother trying to begin with.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

It’s a nice sentiment, isn’t it? There’s just one problem: Abraham Lincoln never actually said this phrase. In fact, that collection of words had apparently never been said in Lincoln’s lifetime.

According to the Quote Investigators, Abraham Lincoln never said the phrase, and based on their findings, he probably never even heard the phrase. The earliest attribution they offer is to Dr. Edward J. Stieglitz, M.D., who wrote a book about aging in the 1940’s. An advertisement from 1947 for that book uses the quote in question, attributing it directly to Dr. Stieglitz. They also point out that Governor Adlai Stevenson used the quote in the 1950’s.

Variations of the quote dated as far back as 1889, more than two decades after Abraham Lincoln’s death, with no examples predating that. But the exact quote in question is officially attributed, by the Quote Investigators staff anyway, to Dr. Stieglitz.

Of course, typos and other communications flubs coming from “President” Trump are hardly “unpresidented.” Take, for instance, Trump presenting the “alternative fact” that Frederick Douglass was somehow still alive. Trump and his administration never seem to take a few seconds to ask themselves if what they’re about to say is based in reality, and they would certainly never do a few moments’ homework to verify if a quote they’re using is actually attributed correctly.

The saddest part? Abraham Lincoln is very easily amongst America’s most quotable presidents. Could they seriously not find a better quote regarding Lincoln? Maybe one Lincoln himself actually uttered at some point in his own lifetime, perhaps? This story truly does perfectly characterize the Trump administration, doesn’t it?

Matt Terzi is a political satirist and essayist from Binghamton, New York, who has written for some of the most prominent satire publications in the country. He’s now moving into more “serious” subject matter, without losing touch with his comedic roots

Matt Terzi is a political satirist and essayist from Binghamton, New York, who has written for some of the most prominent satire publications in the country. He’s now moving into more “serious” subject matter, without losing touch with his comedic roots